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Show By about 1917, the automobile had made its appearance and began cruising through the Canyon. Its loud motor panicked teams of horses which gave way to the gas buggy when it hove in sight. James Williams and John Heber Robinson bought 'Dort' cars and as soon as John Heber hit the mouth of the Canyon one could hear him coming. He was really proud of that car. William G. Warner bought an Overland, one of the first cars in the settlement. Being an engineer on the railroad, he never coped with the gears, consequently other members of the family had to drive him around. About 1921, Mountain Green acquired its one and only place of business. John Heber Robinson built a little convenience store on the old highway just east of Gateway. He named it "Traveler's Rest". Here a few staples and groceries, soft- drinks, ice cream and gasoline were available to the travelers going by and the neighbors and friends who continually dropped in. The store was located in a beautiful grove of maple trees. In 1928, following the death of Nodie, John Heber's wife, the store was sold to his eldest son, James L. Robinson. Over the years four cabins were built in the grove and a fifth directly south of the store. Comfort stations were constr¬ucted and cement picnic tables and benches built under the trees. When electric lights were installed about 1921 it put an end to the era of the kerosene lamp for families living on the main power line. There would be no more smelly coal oil lamps to fill, no more trimming of blackened wicks or washing of sooty chimneys. The luxury of Thomas A. Edison's inven¬tion made the nights more like day. It was a welcome impro¬vement. The Kippen family up Dry Creek had a little power system that delivered electricity to the big brick home. The Robinsons 'up on the hill' had to wait several more years before poles were installed to the home. For the first quarter of the century there was no free mail delivery. People traveled to Peterson to pick up their letters and parcels at Fingal Bohman's postoffice. That meant five miles of travel for families in the west end of the County. MR. F.D.R. In the late 1920's Mr. F.D.R. arrived in the person of ALBERT WELCH-Mr.F.D.R. Photo-Emma Loo Bell 24 |
